History

The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War is a ten-part, 18-hour documentary film series directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. In an immersive 360-degree narrative, Burns and Novick tell the epic story of the Vietnam War as it has never before been told on film. The Vietnam War features testimony from nearly 100 witnesses.

The Weight of Memory (Explicit Language Version)

1h 51m

While the Watergate scandal rivets Americans’ attention and forces President Nixon to resign, the Vietnamese continue to savage one another in a brutal civil war. When hundreds of thousands of North Vietnamese troops pour into the south, Saigon descends rapidly into chaos and collapses. For the next 40 years, Americans and Vietnamese from all sides search for healing and reconciliation.

Episodes

  • Riding the Tiger (Explicit Language Version): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Riding the Tiger (Explicit Language Version)

    S1 E22 - 1h 26m

    President Kennedy inspires idealistic young Americans to serve their country and wrestles with how deeply to get involved in South Vietnam. As the increasingly autocratic Diem regime faces a growing communist insurgency and widespread Buddhist protests, a grave political crisis unfolds.

  • Riding the Tiger (Vietnamese Subtitles): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Riding the Tiger (Vietnamese Subtitles)

    S1 E12 - 1h 25m

    President Kennedy inspires idealistic young Americans to serve their country and wrestles with how deeply to get involved in South Vietnam. As the increasingly autocratic Diem regime faces a growing communist insurgency and widespread Buddhist protests, a grave political crisis unfolds.

  • Riding the Tiger (1961-1963): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Riding the Tiger (1961-1963)

    S1 E2 - 1h 26m

    President Kennedy inspires idealistic young Americans to serve their country and wrestles with how deeply to get involved in South Vietnam. As the increasingly autocratic Diem regime faces a growing communist insurgency and widespread Buddhist protests, a grave political crisis unfolds.

  • Déjà Vu (Explicit Language Version): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Déjà Vu (Explicit Language Version)

    S1 E21 - 1h 25m

    After a long and brutal war, Vietnamese revolutionaries led by Ho Chi Minh end nearly a century of French colonial occupation. With the Cold War intensifying, Vietnam is divided in two at Geneva. Communists in the north aim to reunify the country, while America supports Ngo Dinh Diem’s untested regime in the south.

  • Déjà Vu (Vietnamese Subtitles): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Déjà Vu (Vietnamese Subtitles)

    S1 E11 - 1h 24m

    After a long and brutal war, Vietnamese revolutionaries led by Ho Chi Minh end nearly a century of French colonial occupation. With the Cold War intensifying, Vietnam is divided in two at Geneva. Communists in the north aim to reunify the country, while America supports Ngo Dinh Diem’s untested regime in the south.

  • Déjà Vu (1858-1961): asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Déjà Vu (1858-1961)

    S1 E1 - 1h 25m

    After a long and brutal war, Vietnamese revolutionaries led by Ho Chi Minh end nearly a century of French colonial occupation. With the Cold War intensifying, Vietnam is divided in two at Geneva. Communists in the north aim to reunify the country, while America supports Ngo Dinh Diem's untested regime in the south.

Extras + Features

  • Social Change Was Coming | First Look: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Social Change Was Coming | First Look

    S1 - 20s

    The Vietnam era was marked by protests, not just for and against the war, but also for social change. One of many perspectives in The Vietnam War: An Epic Event from Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. #VietnamWarPBS

  • Men Like This | First Look: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Men Like This | First Look

    S1 - 30s

    A decorated Army veteran talks about the young men who fought the Vietnam War. One of many perspectives on The Vietnam War: An Epic Event from Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. #VietnamWarPBS

  • The Fear Went Away | First Look: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Fear Went Away | First Look

    S1 - 30s

    A navy pilot describes being shot down on his first combat mission. One of many perspectives in The Vietnam War: An Epic Event from Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. #VietnamWarPBS

  • Expanding the Draft | First Look: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Expanding the Draft | First Look

    S1 - 30s

    With the Vietnam War ramping up, college students begin to worry about the draft. One of many perspectives in The Vietnam War: An Epic Event from Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. #VietnamWarPBS

  • Vietnamese vs. Vietnamese | First Look: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Vietnamese vs. Vietnamese | First Look

    S1 - 30s

    A N. Vietnamese soldier laments how the war pitted Vietnamese against each other. One of many perspectives in The Vietnam War: An Epic Event from Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. #VietnamWarPBS.

  • Cowards or Heroes? | First Look: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Cowards or Heroes? | First Look

    S1 - 30s

    To escape a war they didn't believe in, some draftees went to Canada. One of many perspectives in The Vietnam War: An Epic Event from Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. #VietnamWarPBS

  • Combat is an Enormous High | First Look: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Combat is an Enormous High | First Look

    S1 - 30s

    A soldier describes the enormous high and enormous cost of being in combat. One of many perspectives in The Vietnam War: An Epic Event from Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. #VietnamWarPBS

  • Profound Sense of Humanity | First Look: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Profound Sense of Humanity | First Look

    S1 - 30s

    A Viet Cong soldier realizes his American enemy is not unlike his own countrymen. One of many perspectives on The Vietnam War: An Epic Event from Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. #VietnamWarPBS

Schedule

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